A vote in Greece's Parliament is expected in the early morning hours of Wednesday, possibly just after midnight, for the draft 2018 state budget, although the all-important legislation is expected to be ratified without a glitch by the 153 MPs that comprise the leftist-rightist coalition government.
Speaking from Parliament's podium in the afternoon, main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis - similar to other opposition party leaders - charged that the government is relying on "unnecessary surpluses in order to doll out welfare subsidies".
"...These (surpluses) did not arise from the economy's over-performance, but are the product of the unacceptable over-taxation of production in Greece ... Why do we have to produce greater (primary budget) surpluses (as a percentage of GDP) than what creditors have asked for?" Mitsotakis asked.
The pro-reform ND leader also said tax evasion is continuing to increase in the country, as "an unrelenting tax and social security contributions raid against everyone is continuing, along with a stop payment domestically, lower investments and social spending brought about a so-called over-surplus and over-performance."
